Khabib Nurmagomedov, arguably the greatest mixed martial arts fighter of all time, is officially retired, and even UFC president Dana White is ready to move on.
White told ESPN on Thursday that he and Nurmagomedov met in Las Vegas, and the undefeated lightweight champion reiterated that he does not intend to fight again. With that, the UFC is finalizing the fight for the lightweight title between Michael Chandler and Charles Oliveira at UFC 262 on May 15, according to White.
“Khabib is retired and does not want to delay the division,” White told ESPN in a text message. “Tonight was our last meeting and he is retired.”
Nurmagomedov (29-0) announced his retirement from MMA in October, but White repeatedly said he hoped the Dagestan champion would fight again. Nurmagomedov defended the lightweight title three times, against Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor.
Looking ahead, Chandler (22-5) is a three-time Bellator MMA lightweight champion. He signed to the UFC in 2020 and made his promotional debut in January against Dan Hooker at UFC 257 on Fight Island. He scored a knockout in the first round at just 2:30.
Fighting at the Sanford MMA in South Florida, Chandler has 6-1 in his last seven fights.
Oliveira (30-8) is currently in a winning streak of 8, including a dominant decision over former interim champion Tony Ferguson at UFC 256 in December. The 31-year-old has been in shambles since he passed his featherweight in 2017, with a record 9-1. He finished 8 of those nine wins at 155 pounds.